Evaluation of New Guinea Impatiens in Sun and Shade

Abstract

New Guinea Impatiens have become a major spring crop for many commercial greenhouses. Along with increased sales has come a proliferation of new varieties from which commercial growers must choose. To help provide growers with information to make these selections the ornamental horticulture extension program at Penn State has tested landscape performance of New Guinea Impatiens in the sun and the shade each year since 1994. Cuttings are obtained from commercial producers and six plants of each variety are planted in landscape beds in the full sun and six plants are planted in landscape beds under a shade structure. Plants are evaluated on flowering, foliage and overall appearance every 2 weeks throughout the summer. Commercial growers can evaluate varieties on their own during the trial field day and results are made available in an annual report and are posted on the internet. A survey of participants in the 1995 field day indicated that 98% of those responding used the printed report to make or change their variety selections. Supplementing the printed report with the internet for distribution of results allows broad dissemination of detailed information including photographs and graphics that could not be easily distributed in hard copy form. In the future trial results posted on the internet could be used to supplement point of sale materials, providing growers and retailers with a powerful new marketing tool.